Bloodthirsty Castle

"Bloodthirsty Castle."

The elder with ash-white hair, a Five-star Demon who cultivated the Rule of Death, had eyes as cold as ice, laced with a hint of apprehension and hatred.

Another Five-star Demon asked, "How is it, Joseph? Do you sense any danger?"

Joseph observed for a long while before shaking his head. "The owner and steward of Bloodthirsty Castle are both skilled in Magic Arrays. We can't just charge in. It's best to destroy the Magic Array by force first. That's where your advantage lies, Chaos."

Chaos flipped his hand, revealing a black dual-bladed battle axe, and reminded him with a grin, "Don't forget our agreement."

Joseph nodded and said calmly, "As long as I can personally kill the owner of Bloodthirsty Castle, her spatial ring and all her property will be yours."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chaos suddenly raised his dual-bladed battle axe!

The black power of the Rule of Destruction unleashed a suffocatingly vast illusionary projection. It seemed to activate some sort of secret technique, causing the space within the attack range to ripple like water, revealing its immense destructive power.

"Crack... crack..."

Sounds like shattering glass echoed, rapidly expanding before exploding completely. The force evaporated countless drops of bloody lake water. The moment the axe's illusionary blade touched the black castle, it met a special resistance.

The Magic Array patterns flickered with dazzling luster, rigidly stabilizing the castle and withstanding this fierce, direct physical attack. However, the weakest points, the windows, burst into fragments.

"Gurgle... gurgle..."

The lake in front of the castle gates bubbled as if being inflated. Countless drops of bloody water, intertwined with Shore Flowers, transformed into sharp swords, launching a widespread assault.

"These aren't real flowers... No, only some of them are alchemical tools!"

Several Divine-level beings present were caught off guard and blown apart. Their deaths allowed those who survived to get a clearer look at some of Bloodthirsty Castle's trap placements.

A Shore Flower shot towards Linley's forehead. He, however, kept his eyes closed, making no move to dodge. This change seemed to have begun when he witnessed Chaos's attack.

"Linley, be careful of these flowers..."

Thomas and Corey's faces changed drastically.

They were cautiously dealing with the attacks themselves while keeping an eye on Linley. Seeing his inaction, they immediately grew anxious, mistaking it for some special predicament he was in. They quickly shouted a warning, but it was already too late.

The Shore Flower, stained with bloody water, struck Linley's forehead squarely!

However, the tragic outcome they had anticipated did not occur. A strand of brilliant electric arc crackled and flashed, instantly shattering the Shore Flower with ease. The bloody water was even evaporated by the scorching heat.

Linley suddenly opened his eyes, a faint smile gracing his lips. He thought to himself, So that's how it is... the application of the Rule of Destruction...

Just a moment ago, he had inadvertently focused on the illusionary projection of the Five-star Demon's dual-bladed battle axe. A flash of inspiration struck him, and combined with his own thoughts, a new understanding of the Rule of Destruction surged within him.

This scene didn't attract much attention from those present. Everyone was vigilantly dealing with the Shore Flower attacks and didn't have the spare capacity to observe whether others were alive or dead.

"I'm alright..."

Linley adjusted his state of mind and transmitted an explanation to Thomas and Corey, who were hovering around him with worried expressions.

"Insight... You rascal..."

Thomas felt a pang in his teeth. It seemed Linley's talent wasn't just in the Rule of Lightning; his grasp of the Rule of Destruction was also not to be underestimated.

Corey's mouth gaped in shock, leaving him momentarily speechless. An infinite sense of admiration welled up within him. When the gap between people is too great, you don't even feel jealousy. Comparing oneself to a genius like Linley was simply asking for humiliation.

Just then, an explosion suddenly erupted from within the castle, accompanied by the divine power fluctuations of intense combat.

Joseph and Chaos, the two Five-star Demons, exchanged a knowing smile. "It must be Claude who successfully infiltrated. Let's follow him."

"However, it's still not entirely safe to just charge in like this. Let these examinees scout ahead for us."

Their conversation was undisguised. The faces of the remaining hundred-plus examinees, who had not yet died, turned grim.

There was anger, helplessness, and nervousness, but no one retreated!

Since they dared to participate in the demon castle assessment, they naturally had some psychological preparation!

After waiting for a few seconds and seeing the group hesitate, Chaos impatiently cursed, "Why aren't you going in quickly? Do we have to invite you?"

Joseph's gaze casually swept over them, lingering slightly longer on Linley, Thomas, and Corey.

Because of the previous blood mist incident, he had a slight impression of them, but that was all. Merely three Mid-level Gods were, at most, high-level cannon fodder, and they happened to be useful at this moment.

"I've already failed twice! This time, I must become a Demon!"

A Mid-level God with dark skin and bull horns, his eyes bloodshot, roared and entered the castle through a window.

This seemed to be the signal. Examinees began entering the castle one after another, including Linley and the other two.

Although Linley was confident he could kill the two Five-star Demons and didn't need to follow their orders, there was no need to do so at the moment.

The mission still had to be completed, and killing them would only increase his own pressure.

Who knew how many hidden powers Bloodthirsty Castle possessed? It wasn't worth causing trouble now.

Joseph and Chaos nodded in satisfaction at this, following them into the castle.

"Ugh..."

The inner walls of the castle were covered in a large amount of flesh-like red substance, emitting a nauseating stench and still wriggling.

"Disgusting!"

A female Mid-level God with short silver hair showed disgust on her face and subconsciously raised her palm. A whip burning with scorching flames lashed out.

The flesh inflated and exploded upon contact with the fire!

Viscous, foul-smelling red liquid splattered onto the female Mid-level God, rapidly corroding her flesh and bones.

"No!!"

The female Mid-level God's face turned deathly pale. She wanted to escape but was restricted by the terrain. The flames from the explosion triggered a chain reaction, and in the blink of an eye, she was engulfed by a large amount of the viscous liquid, dying a gruesome death.

The scene made many people's scalps tingle and their hearts pound with fear. They quickly employed their defensive measures to resist the gushing blood.

Linley frowned, enduring the nausea. Arcs of electricity flickered across his body, blocking the splashing blood in front of him. His localized electromagnetic field enveloped them, and the scorching lightning annihilated them.

He even had enough energy to help Thomas and Corey bear some of the pressure. After the fleshy walls were mostly cleared and no longer triggered chain reactions, he discovered that another fifth of the examinees who had entered the castle had died.

"This casualty rate..."

Linley couldn't help but sigh. Those who could become Demons were indeed considered elites. Even if some managed to get by on luck, it still counted as a form of strength.

They passed through the narrow staircase and entered a spacious corridor that branched out to various rooms. As dense footsteps sounded, a large number of guards clad in blood-red robes rushed towards them.

Linley and the others' spirits lifted. These individuals were precisely the targets of their current assessment: Blood Slaves!